Location: Sacramento, California
Certification Level: Gold
Project Owner: UC Davis Health
Project Overview:

UC Davis Health PS 7 supports UC Davis Medical Center, providing staff parking. The parking building is located approximately 1 mile from the medical center and incorporates a shuttle stop to transport staff from the parking building to their final workplace destination. To promote the health and well-being of UC Davis Health Staff, the parking building integrates open space opportunities, local art and numerous green amenities.

Key project features

  • UC Davis Health PS 7 houses 65 AC Level II charging ports, totaling 5% of the total available parking spaces.
  • In addition to the installed EV Chargers, PS 7 includes the infrastructure for more than 195 (390 EV Chargers with dual ports) additional EV Chargers (EV Capable).
  • The PS 7 project provides 93 bicycle parking spaces, totaling 7% of the total parking count of 1,257, as well as additional amenities (clinics, surveillance, etc) to meet Tier 2 standards for bicycle parking.
  • The parking building includes Photovoltaic panels, LED light fixtures, a red light-green light wayfinding system, monument signs, and more.

Environmental impacts

UC Davis Health Parking Structure 7 (PS7) utilizes the ECO Falcon Vision Parking Guidance System. In addition to single space red light/green light/blue light system, the ECO Parking System connects to monument signs that display available parking per level and by type. The AI parking system relies on advanced tools like license plate recognition and computer vision to improve operations. The ECO Falcon Vision system uses wireless cameras to guide parking with 99% accuracy in detecting available spaces. UC Davis Health uses “Just A Parking App” (JAPA) to provide real-time parking availability, navigation and pricing information for all of the medical center’s parking. The JAPA application is accessible to employees, students and visitors to the campus and helps users find available parking spaces, get directions, and even pay for parking through the app. The app utilizes sensors on parking spaces to track availability and provides this data to users through a mobile application. It aims to streamline the parking experience by reducing time spent searching for available spaces and avoiding parking tickets.

The combined force of PS 7’s internal and external wayfinding systems significantly reduces emissions within the building and traveling to work. Employees are able to survey parking inventory on the JAPA App before arriving to work; they are able to identify the parking level with the most open spaces when approaching PS 7; and they are led directly to open spaces with the ECO system’s green light indicators.

Financial impacts

Sustainable, high-quality materials and smart, IoT-enabled systems reduce the frequency of repairs and replacements. Further, the investment in maintenance and operations will lead to fewer significant repairs to the building over its lifetime.

Community impact

The design is highlighted by art from local artists, creating a community gateway that reflects resilience and perseverance. UC Davis Health (UCDH) has a decades long commitment to spreading the benefits and joy of art throughout its facilities and local community. According to UCDH, “Research shows that art can be healing. It has a comforting and uplifting impact on patients in our clinics and hospital, and it can have the same effect in the community around us.” UCDH incorporates murals throughout its health campus and sponsors local artist competitions and festivals, and PS 7 is a shining example of how art can touch all spaces.

“Achieving Parksmart certification affirms that Parking & Transportation Services is not simply building parking structures, we are delivering mobility infrastructure aligned with the long-term environmental, operational, and patient-care priorities of UC Davis Health. Parksmart provides a rigorous, third-party framework that integrates sustainability, measurable environmental performance, advanced technology, access management, EV readiness, and user experience into the design and operation of our facilities. It elevates parking from a static asset to a strategic sustainability and mobility tool. For Parking & Transportation Services, it formalizes our commitment to innovation, transportation demand management, and responsible stewardship of resources. For the broader UC Davis Health campus, it supports institutional climate goals, improves patient and staff access, enhances safety and traffic flow, and reinforces that every component of our infrastructure, including parking, contributes to a healthier environment and a smarter, more resilient mobility ecosystem. Parksmart certification signals that sustainability is not confined to clinical or research buildings at UC Davis Health. It is embedded in the mobility systems that support patient care, workforce access, and long-term campus growth.”-Michael D Godfrey, UC Davis Health, Executive Director, Parking and Transportation Services

Photo credit: McCarthy Building Companies